Edustavuutta

Edustavuutta is a Finnish term referring to representativeness or representativity. In research and analysis, edustavuutta describes how well a sample, dataset, or observation reflects the characteristics of the broader population or context it aims to represent. High edustavuutta implies that findings from the sample can be generalized to the population from which the sample was drawn.

Key concepts include the sampling frame, random sampling, stratified sampling, coverage, nonresponse bias, and measurement error. Representativeness is typically assessed by comparing distributions of key variables—such as age, gender, region, or income—between the sample and the population. When discrepancies are found, researchers may use methods like weighting, post-stratification, or calibration to adjust the results and improve representativeness.

Applications span public opinion polling, market research, health studies, educational assessments, and electoral or policy analysis. In political science and sociology, edustavuutta informs how well survey findings reflect voter attitudes, social trends, or policy preferences.

Limitations include that even well-designed samples are often only approximately representative, and representativeness can be compromised by small sample sizes, nonresponse, undercoverage, or measurement error. These issues lead to sampling error and threaten external validity—the extent to which results generalize beyond the studied sample.

Improvement methods involve random or stratified sampling, careful recruitment to minimize nonresponse, weighting adjustments, multiple imputation for missing data, and sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of conclusions.

Related concepts include generalizability, sampling bias, and external validity. In Finnish research contexts, edustavuutta is central to assessing the credibility and applicability of study findings.